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A review by kamharellano
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I'm glad I bought this at a secondhand shop for 50php because if I'd purchased this at full price, I would be pissed as hell.
Easily one of the most ridiculous books I've read in my lifetime, let alone this year. The funny thing is, it's almost as though Liane Moriarty expected that the reviews of this book would not be favorable. There's an entire subplot about how one of the protagonists, a clear stand-in for the author herself, is deeply hurt by a scathing review that calls her work trite, clichéd, sexist crap (which Nine Perfect Strangers absolutely is). And at the end of the book, there's a little aside about how that reviewer lost all her money in an Internet scam. Um...okay? Weird hill to die on Liane, but okay.
Despite the fact that the synopsis of this book makes it sound like a thrilling mystery reminiscent of And Then There Were None, with the added modern-day appeal of being set at an exclusive health spa, I genuinely can't wrap my mind around the fact that there is literally nothing going on. In addition to that, the characters are all practically cardboard cut-outs, caricatures of real living breathing humans. Also, I'm not making any accusations as I can't really tell for certain what Liane Moriarty had in mind while writing this, but I can't shake off the feeling of a touch of xenophobia, racism, homophobia, and sexism in the way certain characters (Masha, Yao, Carmel, Heather, Jessica, and Lars) are portrayed.
Ending up reading this book with how Yao was written on the first day of Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month feels like a hate crime.
If you live in Manila and are a Liane Moriarty fan, please get in touch with me and I will literally send this to you free of charge and I'll pay for shipping as well. I genuinely cannot stand the thought of having this book under my roof.
Easily one of the most ridiculous books I've read in my lifetime, let alone this year. The funny thing is, it's almost as though Liane Moriarty expected that the reviews of this book would not be favorable. There's an entire subplot about how one of the protagonists, a clear stand-in for the author herself, is deeply hurt by a scathing review that calls her work trite, clichéd, sexist crap (which Nine Perfect Strangers absolutely is). And at the end of the book, there's a little aside about how that reviewer lost all her money in an Internet scam. Um...okay? Weird hill to die on Liane, but okay.
Despite the fact that the synopsis of this book makes it sound like a thrilling mystery reminiscent of And Then There Were None, with the added modern-day appeal of being set at an exclusive health spa, I genuinely can't wrap my mind around the fact that there is literally nothing going on. In addition to that, the characters are all practically cardboard cut-outs, caricatures of real living breathing humans. Also, I'm not making any accusations as I can't really tell for certain what Liane Moriarty had in mind while writing this, but I can't shake off the feeling of a touch of xenophobia, racism, homophobia, and sexism in the way certain characters (Masha, Yao, Carmel, Heather, Jessica, and Lars) are portrayed.
Ending up reading this book with how Yao was written on the first day of Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month feels like a hate crime.
If you live in Manila and are a Liane Moriarty fan, please get in touch with me and I will literally send this to you free of charge and I'll pay for shipping as well. I genuinely cannot stand the thought of having this book under my roof.